Our Approach

Our organization is based on the twin Gandhian principles of Ahimsa and Antodaya. Gandhi taught that true change could not occur without ahimsa—non-violence in actions and thought—and antodaya the uplift of all people, down to the very poorest.
 

At Apne Aap, we believe that prostitution is an act of violence against women. It is not a choice but the absence of choice. The sex trafficking industry takes advantage of women and girls’ lack of meaningful options due to gender, caste and class discrimination and economic policies that fail to ensure universal access to education, sustainable livelihoods and human rights. By reaching out to the poorest and most powerless, we strive to stop this violence at every level of society.
 

Apne Aap values human rights and believes that all women and children should be free of sexual exploitation.
 

We support the rights of all girls and women to equality and the elimination of all forms of discrimination against them, including the right not to be prostituted.
 

Prostitution is not inevitable. The most effective solutions come from small groups of women organizing in self-empowerment groups to collectively access their rights at the local and national level.
 

In order to end sex trafficking we must change the fundamental structures of power to create equality between women and men. We encourage all the members of Apne Aap to help us bring about this change.